Writing Spaces: Where do YOU write?

I love seeing where other writers write. Where the spend their creative time whether it be bedrooms, sheds, armchairs in the corner of living rooms, kitchen tables and sheds, they are just some of the places regularly used. Here are some of them: Mslexia have an article on their blog by carolyn Jess-Cooke here about it here: Writing Spaces: Where do YOU write?

Here's a previous post I shared on the same subject by writer Simon Whaley, back in 2012: http://finlayson-palmer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/simon-says-where-do-you-write.html

And one of my all time favourite writers, Roald Dahl's writing chair...

Here's my writing space this week, wish I always had seaviews, but alas, back home to the city tomorrow!

Literary Rambles: Word Counts for Children's Books

Came across this very handy and informative blog called Literary Rambles, this article is on word counts, an issue I'm often worrying over! Well worth a read and handy to refer to :)



Literary Rambles: Word Counts for Children's Books: I received a request awhile ago to do a post on word counts for different age categories in children's lit.  Since opinions vary greatly...

Wombourne Writers: August Homework

Next month's homework for the writing group I attend. Next meeting will be Wednesday 6th August at 7.15pm :)



Wombourne Writers: August Homework: Write a poem, short piece of prose, or letter based around the following small advert - up to 500 words: Bargain Buys. Picture of Japanese s...

Dreams becoming a reality!

It's been a while since I last posted an update. Since the Whitsun holiday it's been a time of many changes, some good, some not so, and some just amazing! I've had some setbacks in many forms, including getting up to water pouring through the kitchen ceiling from the bathroom, and much worse, losing our dear cat Pasta, who had been with me for nearly 16 years.

With my furry companion gone, I have thrown myself into my writing more than ever before. And I am reaping the rewards!

I have written since I was little, and my dream all of my life was to be published. As an adult I have longed to be at a stage where I felt I could start approaching literary agents, and this year I have. Petronella Beetletwitch and the Water Pistol Bandit starting receiving feedback with rejections so I knew I was getting closer. Then an agent asked for the full manuscript, so things were definitely taking off. At this point I had only ever considered approaching Children's literary agents, but started to realise that wouldn't necessarily be the best approach considering my love of horror and crime fiction.

It was Nibfest14 that spingboarded me towards my dreams. The week long write-a-thon founded by agent Laetitia Rutherford with Watson, Little Ltd was the starting point for A Witch in Time, which then became one of 7 shortlisted entries.

This competition led me to discovering the fantastic agent Laetitia Rutherford, who has since offered me representation :D I have a feeling this is the start of a wonderful partnership that will lead to many more books!

Excited and frantically writing A Witch in Time now, which hopefully will end up in bookshops in the none too distant future. Watch this space!

Wombourne Writers: July Homework

Wombourne Writers: July Homework: July Homework - Write the dialogue between these two ladies. 500 words approx.



Homework for this month for Wombourne Writers, the fantastic writing group that I attend. It runs the first Wednesday evening of each month in Wombourne library :)

Taking flight

Since I completed the last edit of Petronella and the Water Pistol Bandit she has been flitting about and landing in slushpiles. All seems to be going very well, Petronella is receiving a lot of positive feedback, my favourite being described as a 'terrific writer!'

Two agents have requested the full MS so far, so fingers crossed for a home for Petronella before too long. I'm feeling very hopeful. The whole process has been exciting, even a knock back hasn't made me feel hurt or rejected. I think a background in Fine Art has helped prepare me for this stage in the process. Anything creative is hard to judge as it is so subjective, people either love it, hate it or are ambivalent towards it, with a few grey areas in between. But basically it comes down to they either like it or they don't have an interest in it, just like a book and the whole submission process.

Now I'm waiting to see if I've found the agent who feels as passionately about my writing as I do. One who likes that all important factor, the 'voice'. Again, like anything creative, you develop a style of your own with time and practice, and it's what agents always say they are looking for. So fingers crossed my 'voice' is being heard and liked and it wont be long before I can post my 'I have an agent!' story :)

And in the meantime, I've been world building and character profiling for my new novel 'A Witch in Time'. It was started for the Nibfest14 write-a-thon, and was shortlisted. Now I'm adding and developing Feather's story, and loving every minute of this new adventure!

I'm a Nibfest14 Shortlistee!!!

On the 4th May at Midday Nibfest - The Festival of Writing announced a first line, which unpublished writers were then to take and write up to 5000 words. Either a short story or the start of a novel. It was a mad week of writing last week as there was exactly one week for this write-a-thon. Pens down and entry sent by midday on 11th May.

The opening line was... ‘It was a bright day in May, and the clocks were striking twelve.’ 

When I read that line a character popped into my mind, standing alone in a room full of clocks. Her name was Feather and she was a witch. A novel was born from that sentence, or at least the first two chapters. I'm now world building and character profiling, yes I even know what Feather has in her pockets, I've got to know her so well this past week.

I knew as soon these new characters had come into my life that they were going to have a good story to tell. I've only known them just over a week and I'm very excited to learn all about them and where they are going to take me.

I've been looking forward to seeing the results of the write-a-thon and eagerly awaited 10pm for news. I couldn't have hoped for better news! Nibfest14 notified me that I was one of the 7 Shortlistees :D Excited doesn't even cover it! I think I've driven my family mad this evening with my bouncing about the house and reminding them intermittently of my new status as shortlistee.

I'm one very proud writer right now, and cant thank the agents at Watson, Little enough for shortisting me. I now eagerly await Alex Marwood, Katy Regan and Abigail Tarttelin's decision on the overall winner. Good luck and well done to the other shortlistees!

Take a look at blog of Cassie Leedham, another one of the shortlistees at: http://cassieleedhamphotography.com/?p=658

For more information take a look at: www.nibfest.co.uk
Wonderful agents at: www.watsonlittle.com
And the writers: www.alexmarwood.com, www.katyregan.com and www.abigailtarttelin.com